French anti-terror officers arrested five suspected Islamic extremists Tuesday after they allegedly posted comments on radical websites calling for Jihad or Muslim holy war.
The five, all French-born men aged between 25 and 30, were arrested in simultaneous dawn raids in the southern city of Marseille, Brittany and the Paris suburbs, according to officials connected to the inquiry.
An initial investigation is examining whether to charge the men with links to terrorist activity and finance, according to a judicial source, who said the suspects’ Internet postings amounted to "jihadist indoctrination".
The arrests formed part of an inquiry by Paris anti-terrorism magistrates. All five men have been remanded in custody and their homes and computers were searched by specialist officers, the officials said.